Congressman Hinojosa meets with Constituents on Child HealthCare Issues

I would like to share some recent information about the Republican budget plan being proposed by the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives that would drastically affect the health care of millions of children in the country, including those children living in the 15th District of Texas.

Approximately 400,000 people, about two thirds of them being children, would be left without health care coverage by 2013, according to a report released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Our children, who are our next generation of educators, civil servants, members of our Armed Forces, scientists, and future leaders of tomorrow, could be affected by these irresponsible cuts.

The same report cites that by 2016, 1.7 million children would lose their Child Health Insurance Plan coverage which is provided by Medicaid. Children could lose prescription drugs, dental care, eye exams, glasses, doctor’s visits, and more. The CBO report goes on to say that the GOP plan would cut $1 TRILLION from Medicaid by providing block grants, which CBO estimates will result in 15 million Americans losing coverage through Medicaid.

I come from a family of hard workers. My parents raised 8 children and we all worked together to keep each member of our family safe and healthy. Fortunately we all made it through our teenage years to become healthy adults. While this was true for us, there are many families who have fallen on hard times and who are in need of health care. Every child should be able to receive health care and every parent should be able to feel that despite having fallen on bad economic times, their child will still have access to medical services.

I have always supported making health care available for South Texans by improving care for the uninsured, underinsured and for those medically underserved in rural and urban areas. As Congress continues negotiations on deficit reduction, I am committed to protect children and their healthcare needs against these irresponsible cuts.

As always, it is my honor to represent you in Congress. If I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact our offices throughout the 15th District of Texas or in Washington, D.C.

Sincerely,

Ruben Hinojosa
Member of Congress